<p>So I filled out the EFC calculator thingy and got a value of 31k. Now that’s without any scholarships or anything, but I know my parents probably aren’t going to be able to pay that if that is indeed the EFC. I have another sibling and we’re both deeply involved in athletics and we live in an area where the costs of living certainly aren’t low. </p>
<p>So do I try to see what types of scholarships I qualify for at each school now? Colleges have different FA packages too right? I might have to cross some schools off the list because they’re all pretty expensive, and it’s not like the University of Washington is a bad school, I just don’t really feel like going there.</p>
<p>Also I was reading about something called a Stafford loan? Thanks again for being so helpful everyone.</p>
<p>If you are applying for need based aid, and you get scholarships…those scholarships will reduce your NEED…and therefore your need based aid. Scholarships typically do not reduce EFC…that is what the family is expected to contribute (minimally). There are a few schools that allow “stacking” of awards up to the cost of attendance…but not very many.</p>
<p>A Stafford loan is a federal government loan administered by the Department of Education. You have to fill out the FAFSA to get it. Regardless of your EFC, you can get an unsubsidized loan of $5500 Freshman year, I think, and depending on your EFC (the lower the better) you can qualify for subsidized loans of lesser amounts. The difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans is that you are not responsible for the interest on a subsidized loan while you are in school; the federal government pays it off for you until a period of time after you graduate. Unsubsidized loans charge interest every month or so.</p>
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<p>If the EFC is really $31k, then she’s probably not going to be swimming in need-based aid anyway. Another problem is that it’s very hard to get scholarships. I’m talking about lobotomy-with-an-icepick, pulling-teeth-with-string-tied-to-a-doorknob hard. The best scholarships are the ones from the schools, but not all schools give scholarships. Many schools only have one or two scholarships that they award to a handful of people per year, and a lot of those are both competitive and aren’t large enough to cover the full cost of attendance. You should definitely do as you said and check each school’s websites for scholarships. Make sure you know what you have to do now in order to qualify and don’t count on it unless you’re sure you’ve got it.</p>